Component surface with three-dimensional surface texture and method for the creation of a component surface with three-dimensional surface texture

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a component surface (side section  1   a ), in particular a vehicle surface, with a three-dimensional surface texture. This invention further relates to a method for the creation of a component surface (side section  1   a ), in particular a vehicle surface, with a three-dimensional surface texture. To keep the effort and expense required for the achievement of a three-dimensional surface texture low, the invention teaches that a film is glued to the component surface (side section  1   a ), which film has been provided prior to the gluing with a plurality of coats of paint, each using the screen printing process, which in their totality form a three-dimensional surface texture.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application corresponds to German Application No. 10 2005 057 787.3filed Dec. 3, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a component surface, in particular a vehiclesurface, with a three-dimensional surface texture. The invention alsorelates to a method for the creation of a component surface, inparticular a vehicle surface, with a three-dimensional surface texture.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

On fork-lift trucks, such as on the 39X series manufactured and sold bythe Material Handling Division of Linde Aktiengesellschaft, the cast andpainted counterweight is installed immediately next to flat sidepiecesthat are painted the same color as the vehicle frame, which is otherwisepainted a different color. The surface texture of the cast counterweightis naturally relatively rough. This three-dimensional surface texture isaltogether desirable for aesthetic and practical reasons, and can befurther emphasized by painting the counterweight with texture paint.

So that the observer does not perceive an aesthetically undesirablecontrast between the side pieces of the vehicle frame (that are adjacentto the counterweight and are also painted the same color as thecounterweight) and the counterweight itself, it is also desirable toachieve a three-dimensional texture of the surface on the sidepieces ofthe vehicle. In actual practice, the vehicle frame is first painted inits entirety in the specified color (using the dip process), the resultof which is a smooth “two-dimensional” surface texture. Following thiscomplete painting, the side pieces in question are repainted withtexture paint in the same shade as the counterweight to also give them athree-dimensional surface texture.

For this purpose, the vehicle frame is transported to a second paintingstation, where it is prepared for the second painting process by maskingcertain parts of the vehicle frame.

After the painting, the masking is removed again. In other words, thepainting process requires a considerable amount of effort.

The prior art indicates that, for design reasons, multi-coloredcomponent surfaces can be produced on vehicles by gluing films withdifferent colors onto specified sections of the surface.

An object of this invention is to provide a component surface of thetype generally described above but using a method to achieve athree-dimensional surface texture with reduced effort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, a film is glued to the componentsurface. Before the film is glued in place, it is provided with aplurality of coats of paint, that each can be applied using a screenprinting process, and together form a three-dimensional surface texture.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method that includesapplying a plurality of coats of paint one after another using thescreen printing process to form a three-dimensional surface texture on afilm, and gluing the film to the component surface.

In another aspect of the invention, a film is glued to the componentsurface, which film has a three-dimensional surface texture that iscreated by a multiple-coat screen printing process with differentscreens. As a result of the application of coats of paint using thescreen printing process, by means of a suitable design of the screen,raised particles can be created at certain points of the componentsurface. The raised particles, in their totality, have the optical andtactile appearance of a three-dimensional surface texture, and eachcomprise layers of printed paint laminated one on top of another. Inthis case, texture heights of 20 to 200 micrometers, for example, can beachieved with a width of 1 to 3 millimeters.

In another aspect of the invention, the invention teaches that multiplecolors can be applied to the surface of the components with littleeffort. It is also possible, even when the components are the samecolor, to achieve different surface roughnesses and surface textures inspecified areas of the surface, for example to achieve optical effects(e.g., different levels of refraction of light or different levels ofgloss on the component). As a result of the three-dimensional surfacetexture, minor defects in the application of the film, such as creasesand air bubbles, are imperceptible. As a result, touch-up and repairwork (e.g., breaking air bubbles) is unnecessary.

In another aspect of the invention, the creation of a three-dimensionalsurface texture using the screen printing process has a furtheradvantage over the conventional painting process. The texture paint canbe applied using a paint gun by a painter, which is more easilyreproducible and results in uniform and consistent quality.

In another advantageous aspect of the invention, the film is tinted andthe paint layers each include a transparent thixotropic paint. Thethree-dimensional texture is accordingly transparent. The colorimpression is created by the tinted film. Of course, it is also possibleto create tinted textures. To achieve this effect, the colored ortransparent film can be printed with several layers of colored paint.

In another aspect of the invention, a transparent top coat is applied tothe paint coats that have been deposited using the screen printingprocess, and the three-dimensional surface texture is sealed andprotected against environmental factors.

In another advantageous aspect of the invention, the film can be a castpolyvinyl chloride (PVC) film.

In another aspect of the invention, the film can be a self-adhesivefilm. In that case, it is unnecessary to apply adhesive to the componentsurface before the application of the film.

The advantages of the invention become particularly apparent when thecomponent surface to which the film has been glued is locatedimmediately next to a surface segment of a component that is cast and/orpainted with texture paint.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional advantages and details of the invention are explained ingreater detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiment that isillustrated in the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle frame;

FIG. 2 is an overhead view of an exemplary image that can be achievedwith a first screen;

FIG. 3 is an overhead view of an exemplary image that can be achievedwith a second screen; and

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of an exemplary finished texture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a component surface, such as a vehicle frame 1, and thecounterweight 2 of a vehicle that is realized in the form of a fork lifttruck. The cast counterweight 2 has a relatively rough surface and isalso painted with texture paint, for example one that has a red color.The counterweight 2 accordingly has a surface texture which is perceivedby the observer optically and by feel as a three-dimensional surfacetexture. The surface of the vehicle frame 1 is painted black in itsentirety using the dipping method, for example, and is therefore smooth,i.e., it has a two-dimensional surface texture.

For aesthetic reasons, it is desirable that the outsides of two flatsidepieces 1 a of the vehicle frame 1 have the same color andessentially the same three-dimensional surface texture as thecounterweight 2. For this purpose, a self-adhesive film is preferablyapplied to the outside of the sidepieces 1 a, in which the film haspreviously been printed with a plurality of coats of texture paint, suchas thixotropic paint, using a screen printing method with differentscreens. Using the screen printing process, a three-dimensional surfacetexture of the film that is made of cast PVC is thereby created.

FIGS. 2 to 4 illustrate the principle used in the invention. FIG. 2shows an overhead view of an image that can be achieved with a screenused at the beginning of the screen printing process and which can beapplied to the flatter areas of the surface texture. Then, a secondscreen is used with which the image illustrated in FIG. 2 can beachieved for the elevated areas of the surface texture. This can beaccomplished by the overprinting or overpainting of certain areas. Takentogether, the result is a finished, three-dimensional texture asillustrated in the overhead view in FIG. 4. An isolated area of thescreen and of the finished surface texture is marked by the circle A inFIGS. 2 to 4.

It goes without saying that the number and type of screens used dependson the desired surface texture and texture height. With regard to thecolor of the printed film, the printing process can be executed withtransparent, thixotropic paint, if the film is tinted in the desiredshade. During the printing, of course, consideration must be given tothe fact that the color of the finished texture will differ from thecolor of the unprinted film.

Alternatively, it is also possible to use colored paint for the printingof the film. In both cases, the three-dimensional texture, the textureheight of which is determined by the number of coats of paint thatpartly overlap one another, is sealed at the end of the printing processwith a top coat, e.g., a transparent topcoat.

In one embodiment, a component surface to which a film is glued ispositioned immediately adjacent a surface segment of a cast componentand/or component painted with texture paint as described herein. Inanother embodiment, the film is glued to the component surfaceimmediately adjacent a surface segment that is cast and/or painted withtexture paint.

It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art thatmodifications may be made to the invention without departing from theconcepts disclosed in the foregoing description. Accordingly, theparticular embodiments described in detail herein are illustrative onlyand are not limiting to the scope of the invention, which is to be giventhe full breadth of the appended claims and any all equivalents thereof.

1. A method for the creation of a component surface on a fork-lift truckhaving a cast counterweight and a vehicle frame, with the componentsurface having a three-dimensional surface texture and being provided onthe vehicle frame adjacent to the counterweight, the method comprisingthe steps of: painting a cast counterweight a desired color; applying aplurality of coats of paint one after another on a film using a screenprinting process to form a three-dimensional surface texture on thefilm; and gluing the film to the component surface such that thecounterweight and the component surface each have substantially the samecolor and three-dimensional surface texture, wherein the plurality ofcoats of paint are applied to the film one on top of another using thescreen printing process and each coat of paint is applied with adifferent screen, which layers in their totality form athree-dimensional surface texture.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the plurality of coats of paint comprise thixotropic paint. 3.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of coats ofpaint are applied to a tinted film one after another using a screenprinting process.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising applying a transparent top coat to the coats of paint.
 5. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the film is a cast PVC film.